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La Sagrada Familia; Hidden secrets & mysteries!

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As mentioned in one of my previous pages, apart from its delicious food, great nightlife, beautiful weather and elegant inhabitants, Barcelona is best known for the beautiful Gaudi and Gaudi-inspired buildings that line its streets. One of the most popular and most breathtaking buildings he ever constructed, is of course La Sagrada Familia, which is said to be the most visited monument in Spain.

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia
Basilica de la Sagrada Familia
Carrer de Mallorca, 401, 08013 Barcelona, Spain

When I first visited the Sagrada Familia, I was enchanted by its unique and different from what I knew so far, architecture. The Sagrada Familia is to Barcelona what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. Its colors, its geometry, its height are features definitely catching your attention. As Gaudi used to say “there are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature… therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners” plus do not forget that the “color in certain places has the great value of making the outlines and structural planes seem more energetic”. Such an architectural example is the Sagrada Familia.

To get to the point, recently I’ve been reading an article revealing some of Sagrada’s secrets and mysteries. I found it extremely interesting and as you can imagine, I got inspired and decided to share some of those secrets with you in this page.

Secrets and mysteries!

Indeed for example…did you know that Sagrada Familia is funded exclusively by alms and donations? Did you know that Gaudi planned the construction of the monument even after his death? Did you know it was the most visited monument in the whole Spain?

Let’s start!

1) The design of Sagrada Familia was made in such a way so that it enables its construction even after the architect’s death. If it is completed by 2026 as planned, it will be a hundred years since the death of Antoni Gaudí and 144 since the first stone was laid!

2) Gaudí knew that he was not going to live to see his big project finished, so he left sketches & plans so that the architects who would take over knew how to continue. However, all of them got burned during the Civil War and from that time construction continued without them.

3) Sagrada has 3 different facades, all of them with hidden different meanings! He wanted each of the parts to be built independently to reflect the architectural styles of different generations. The Birth Façade is the only thing that was built while he was still alive. It is dedicated to the birth of Jesus while the facade also shows elements related to the Nature and the creation of life. The second is the Passion facade, representing Jesus’ crucifixion while the third one, the Glory facade which is still under construction, represents the road to reach God going through death, final judgment and glory.

4) There is not a single straight line inside the Sagrada Familia, everything is built imitating the architecture of nature.

5) It receives the name Expiatory Temple because it is financed by private donations and by the price of the tickets (wow, now you know why you HAVE to pay!)

6) On the Passion Façade, there is an interesting picture / sudoku in which the sum always gives 33, the age of Christ when he died! (I got super impressed when noticed this one!)

7) It is expected that by 2020, the Sagrada Família will reach its highest point , 172, 5 meters!

8) Gaudí has long been misunderstood and his whole work has been discredited. He had lost everything during the last days of his life. No family, no money, no property. This is why he dedicated his last moments of life entirely to the Sagrada Familia.

9) Its construction takes longer than the one of the Great Pyramids! The construction of the Sagrada Familia started in 1882 and is supposed to be finished in 2026. Gaudí’s masterpiece has taken longer than the construction of the Great Pyramids; the pyramids of Goza had taken 20 years while the Sagrada will be completed in 144 approximately years!

Some of those facts left me mindblown… Hopefully you 'll find them interesting too! Now rush, cause it’s about time to visit the greaaaat Sagrada Familia! Pay attention to the small details and enjoy the view from the top! Cheers!

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The author

Chrisa Lepida

Chrisa Lepida

My name is Chrisa and I come from Greece. As nature lover, winter sports addict and Erasmus obsessed, I’m always writing about these topics.

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